Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) - Fast Track Examination of Applications
Under the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), an applicant receiving a ruling from the Office of First Filing (OFF) that at least one claim in an application filed in the OFF is patentable may request that the Office of Second Filing (OSF) fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications filed in the OSF. PPH will leverage fast-track examination procedures already available in the OSF to allow applicants in the OSF to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.
As of May 25, 2010, the USPTO has eliminated the fee for the petition to make special under the PPH programs. For further information, please see the Federal Register notice available here.
For more information see these Patent Prosecution Highway Resources:
- Overview of the Patent Prosecution Highway (Video- uses Adobe Flash Player*)
- PPH Brochure [PDF] (Print)
- PPH Brochure [HTML] (View)
The USPTO has PPH agreements with various Intellectual Property Offices around the world. For information, requirements and request form for each of the PPH programs, click on the links below:
PPH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (August 2011)
PCT-PPH press release (November 2009)
PCT-PPH (with KIPO) press release (April 16, 2010)
PPH News: View the latest updates on USPTO’s Patent Prosecution Highway program and learn what others are saying about PPH.
For general information concerning PPH, download the PPH Portable Document Format [PPT]. If you have specific questions about PPH, send an e-mail to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
Electronic filing support is available through the Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free) or 571-272-4100 from 6 a.m. to 12 Midnight Eastern Time, Monday – Friday, or by e-mail to ebc@uspto.gov.
For more information on the Plurilateral PPH Framework see the Plurilateral PPH Portal Web Site
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